Ep 7: Bill Kelley - A Lifetime of Chicago Activism

"There aren’t many LGBTQ activists who stayed as consistently engaged in community activism as he did."

The William B. Kelley & Chen K. Ooi Collection is the cornerstone collection of Gerber/Hart Library and Archives. At 288 linear feet, the collection takes up more than an entire wall of the Gerber/Hart Archives.

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Members of Mattachine Midwest at 1968 NACHO (North American Conference of Homophile Organizations): Tom Erwin (top left), Bill Kelly (bottom left) and Roland Keith (bottom right)

Who was Bill Kelley? And why is his collection so vitally important to Chicago LGBTQ? Listen in to learn more about Bill, his partner Chen Ooi, and how the collection ended up at Gerber/Hart.